Best gigabit internet deals

What is gigabit internet?

Gigabit internet refers to hyperfast broadband connections with download speeds of 1Gbps (1,000Mbps). For comparison, the average download speed in the UK in 2021 is just over 50Mbps. That makes gigabit connections up to 20X faster than average.

1Gbps connections will almost always be fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP), meaning fibre optic cables are used at every stage to ensure you get the fastest possible broadband.

Can I get gigabit broadband?

Before getting into whether or not you should stump for a 1Gbps connection, it’s worth mentioning that it’s currently only available in around half of UK households. The government is sponsoring a major rollout project but there’s some way to go yet.

Part of the scheme involves focusing in currently poorly connected rural areas, but for now you’re more likely to get a gigabit line if you live in a city, and even then it’s more common in new-build properties.

Put your postcode in our broadband availability checker and sort the results by speed to see if you can get it where you live:

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Gigabit suppliers

Often if you are able to get a gigabit plan in your area, it’ll come from one of a few dedicated smaller providers. 

Gigaclear 

Gigaclear offer a range of full fibre plans, with speeds ranging from 300Mbps up to 1Gbps. Their network is mainly available in rural areas or smaller cities where other providers only offer ADSL.

Gigaclear Broadband

Hyperfast 900 with Smart WiFi

18 month contract Fibre

830Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£49.00 / month

£0 upfront fees

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Hyperoptic 

Hyperoptic exclusively supply fibre plans and currently only do so in London. Their fastest 1Gbps connection certainly isn’t widely available but it’s one of the cheapest such plans on the market. 

Hyperoptic Broadband

Fast 1Gbps Broadband + Phone

12 month contract Fibre + Phone

900Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£0 / month for 1 months

Then £47.00 / month

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Hyperoptic Broadband

Fast 1Gbps Broadband only

24 month contract Fibre

900Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£0 / month for 3 months

Then £45.00 / month

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Community Fibre 

Another London-centric provider, Community Fibre actually offer speeds up to 3Gbps, which makes them officially the fastest full fibre provider in the city. You won’t get 3 gig internet in many places though, and you’ll pay almost £100 a month if you can.

If you're happy to settle for just 1Gbps (we know, it's tough), then you could snag Community Fibre's gigabit package for either £40.50 per month on a 12-month plan, or £35 per month on a 24-month contract.

Community Fibre Broadband

1 Gbps Fibre Broadband

24 month contract Fibre

920Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£25.00 / month

£0 upfront fees

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Community Fibre Broadband

1 Gbps Fibre Broadband - 12 Months

12 month contract Fibre

920Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£27.00 / month

£0 upfront fees

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KCOM

KCOM’s exclusively serve Hull and East Yorkshire, but their plans are widely available there, and have download speeds from 30Mbps to 1Gbps on offer.

KCOM Broadband

Full Fibre 900

24 month contract Fibre + Phone

900Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£0 / month for 3 months

Then £49.99 / month

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A handful of larger suppliers are also now offering 1Gbps plans, including:

• Virgin Media
• BT
• EE
• Vodafone

Vodafone Broadband

Pro II Full Fibre 900

24 month contract Fibre + Phone

910Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£58.00 / month

£0 upfront fees

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BT Broadband

Full Fibre 900

24 month contract Fibre

£50 BT Virtual Reward Card

910Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£0 / month for 3 months

Then £49.99 / month

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Virgin Media Broadband

Gig1 fibre broadband + home phone & O2 SIM

24 month contract Fibre + Phone

1130Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£62.00 / month

£0 upfront fees

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Gigabit voucher scheme

As part of the government’s full fibre rollout project, those in (typically rural) areas who can’t currently get fibre broadband can apply for subsidised vouchers that can be set against the cost of extending a full fibre network to their home or business.

For more information, and to apply for a gigabit voucher, visit the official site here.

Do I need gigabit internet?

Let’s be clear – you probably don’t need a gigabit connection unless you’re a pro gamer or you’re running a very data-intensive business from your house. But that doesn’t mean you won’t want one. And there are plenty of good reasons to want lightning-fast download speeds.

Gigabit broadband tends to be a bit more expensive than more pedestrian speeds though. Hyperoptic’s plans start at £30 per month which isn’t much more than many fibre connections sitting closer to the 50-100Mbps mark, but from most other providers you’re looking at £50 per month at least. So the question really is: is gigabit internet worth it? 

Let’s take a look:

Is 1Gbps broadband worth the money?

1Gbps is fast. Very fast. But the difference between that and slower-but-still-quick fibre connections is most noticeable when you’re working with very large files (like video games), or if you’ve got lots of people in your house all using the internet at once.

Take a look at the table below to get an idea: 

As you can see in the table above, the difference in streaming speeds isn’t particularly drastic when comparing gigabit with other fast fibre connections. With 50Mbps and above, you’re unlikely to really encounter much buffering unless you’ve got five people all streaming UHD films at once. 

For more help on this front, read our guide on how to choose the right broadband speed. 

Gaming with gigabit internet 

If you download games to your console to play them without discs (or if you play games like COD which require gargantuan updates every few weeks), you will notice a serious difference if your console is hooked up to a wired gigabit connection.

The difference between downloading a game in 5 minutes with a 1Gbps line vs in an hour or two with a more standard fibre connection is pretty stark. 

Ping, lag, and uploads

Full-fibre, wired gigabit connections tend to be ‘symmetrical’, which means upload speeds match download speeds. This is good news if you’re streaming your gameplay to viewers online. 

The real thing you’ll want to look out for if your gaming though is ping/lag. You could be on a symmetrical, hyperfast, 1Gbs connection, but still face lag if your latency isn’t up to scratch. If this is the case, the culprit is probably your router. 

Working from home 

Working from home, especially if there’s a few of you in your house doing it at the same time, can spell trouble for any internet connection. Especially if your work involves frequent online meetings and large file transfers.

A gigabit line will have plenty of bandwidth to share around even a large household though and should have no trouble handling multiple simultaneous Zoom calls.

Last reviewed: 30 September 2022

Next review: 30 October 2022